Many cultures have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions using various spices or a combination of flavors unique to that culture, which evolves over time. Other differences include preferences (hot or cold, spicy, etc.) and practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. These posts explore ingredients, preparation and practices that define the tastes that we encounter when we travel. Food markets are fun places to find new ingredients, spices and to just find people to discuss local specialties. I also try to include the history of various foods, preparations and how we came to use them. As I said in the introduction, places always taste different and here we try to find out why.